'Everything on the table' as Stars seek list rejuvenation

Melbourne Stars' aggressive offseason approach is set to continue with "everything on the table" in a bid to rejuvenate their list and avoid a fourth consecutive KFC BBL campaign without finals.

The Stars last week confirmed they had entered negotiations to trade their all-time leading wicket-taker and Australia white-ball spinner Adam Zampa to crosstown rivals the Renegades.

He may not be the only player on the table following a disappointing BBL|12 where they finished in last place with just three wins.

The 30-year-old is set to be exchanged for wicketkeeper-batter Sam Harper once the deal is finalised when the BBL's contracting embargo lifts mid-year in what shapes as one of the bigger offseason moves in Big Bash history, rivalling Chris Lynn's exit from the Brisbane Heat last year.

And with more than half of their list locked into multi-year deals, and young guns Campbell Kellaway and Tom Rogers expected to earn new contracts, the Stars could be forced to keep dealing with competing clubs to give their squad a fresh look for BBL|13.

It's a strategy the club used successfully ahead of last season when they sent injury-plagued quick Billy Stanlake to the Hurricanes to help free up salary cap space that allowed them to draft New Zealand star Trent Boult as a Platinum pick, along with Gold (Joe Clarke) and Silver (Luke Wood) selections.

On the surface the Renegades appear the clear winners of the in-principle Zampa-Harper trade, but relinquishing the leg-spinner – who only signed a two-year extension last September – would free up space in their $1.9m salary cap of which a significant portion is tied to their three Australian stars of Glenn Maxwell (contracted until the end of BBL|15), Marcus Stoinis (contracted until the end of BBL|13) and Zampa.

That cap amount is tipped to rise in the near future as part of ongoing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) negotiations between Cricket Australia and the players' union, which would help the Stars, and the seven other clubs, entice domestic talent in an increasingly competitive global T20 marketplace.

"This trade would allow us to target several other quality players and we look forward to making a number of announcements regarding new signings once the contracting window re-opens," Stars general manager Blair Crouch told cricket.com.au.

"It's not just about skill set, but it is about age and experience and roles that we can see for those players."

Out-of-contract Brisbane left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has been floated as a possible target to replace Zampa, and Crouch told cricket.com.au the club would look to recruit experienced players that are proven matchwinners.

Matt Short is another in demand star currently without a deal for BBL|13 that Crouch would "love to see in green", but the Victorian allrounder has previously indicated a desire to repay the faith shown in him by the Adelaide Strikers.

They'll also have to consider which bowlers to retain with Nathan Coulter-Nile, Sam Elliott, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Cameron McClure and Tom O'Connell all out of contract.

What the Harper deal does do is give the Stars a local wicketkeeping option, which they haven't had since the premature retirement of Seb Gotch due a finger injury, instead relying on their overseas recruit in Englishman Clarke.

But the Stars biggest challenge may be convincing rival clubs to come to the trade table, with player exchanges historically rare in the BBL.

"I think that's evolving," Crouch said. "You look at codes around the world, trading is a very normal part of professional sport.

"It can also be of great benefit for a player to get to a club they want and play if perhaps they aren't getting that opportunity where they are.

"Creating a healthy ecosystem that underpins the BBL means that clubs do need to be prepared to think creatively about player movements.

"There's certainly going to be an opportunity for us to trade so we can be quite brave about what we're going to do.

"We've been really active so far in trying to secure non-binding agreements with the right players and we look forward to sharing all of those when we're able to whenever the contracting embargo period ends."

First order of business for the Stars is to appoint a new coach following David Hussey's departure to take up his role as Cricket Victoria's Head of Male Cricket full-time, with Crouch saying they would move quickly to announce the appointment in March to give both players and staff certainty for the upcoming season.

No doubt the Stars were dealt a tough hand in BBL|12 – they lost superstar Maxwell and Joe Burns to injuries for the entire season, while Stoinis was limited by Covid and a hamstring injury that meant he only played nine games and didn't bowl after their New Year's Eve fixture.

They also lost four games on the final ball, and another on the penultimate delivery, and if just three of those had of fallen their way, it probably would have been enough for the club to sneak into finals.

But as five-time champions the Perth Scorchers have continually proven, developing local depth is key to BBL success.

"That's (what) we're working through now: what's the right makeup of experience that we need to really ensure the depth in our squad is there should we be tested," Crouch said.

"One thing that we uncovered during the year was our depth was challenged.

"The successful teams, whether it be domestically or around the world, have great depth to call upon. They have really experienced and often hardened players that they can bring into certain situations and if they are required, they've lived those experiences before.

"But the flip side to that is we have given some experiences to our younger players who showed that they really belong on that stage – Tom Rogers and Campbell Kellaway come to mind, and even Liam Hatcher, who is only 26.

"(It's) challenging to cover three players of that calibre … in reality if we had our three injured players available for all the games in Maxwell, Stoinis and Burns, our batting list looks naturally stronger.

"The guys fought really well in probably all bar one game where Perth were just too good for us at the CitiPower Centre, every other game, it felt like we were genuinely a chance to win.

"Clearly, we're disappointed with the fact that we didn't play finals and that was our objective going into the year.

"We're concerned about that, we're not alarmed because I think in many respects, we were pretty close considering how challenged we were by some of those injuries."

And the silver lining to another bottom three finish, is they're again guaranteed a top three pick in the overseas player draft to help bring in the best available international star as they chase that elusive title in BBL|13.

Contracted for BBL|13: Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell (BBL15), Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Adam Zampa (BBL14) * Contract expires at the end of BBL|13 unless specified

Off contract: Nathan Coulter-Nile, Sam Elliott, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Campbell Kellaway, Cameron McClure, Tom O'Connell